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Has there been any talk of the realignment that the NHLPA blocked last season going through? It could open up the possibility of trading with Vancouver if they won't be in our conference after this season.

Probably will handle it in offseason IMO and once the Yotes sale is finalized

Has there been any talk of the realignment that the NHLPA blocked last season going through? It could open up the possibility of trading with Vancouver if they won't be in our conference after this season.

There is a committee that's gonna meet and discuss it this season, and likely have that previous plan in place for next year.

And we need someone that is better than not just Emery, but Corey Crawford. Emery sucks, but he is a backup. Crawford is a bigger problem IMO - because he's supposed to be our horse that we can depend on.

I don't want Saad anywhere near the bottom six. The best thing for him is to let him feed off other guys in our Big 4.

There is nothing wrong with playing young FW's on the 3rd line. Everybody does it. These guys need to learn how to work hard, play D, get into the dirty areas too. Versteeg & Ladd were 3rd liners on this team.

Nothing wrong with having skill on 3rd line. I don't get why people have this preconceived notion that playing in the bottom-6 is bad for development. Saad probably not suited to play 17+ minutes every night on the top 2 lines at this point.

There's a much better chance Detroit is going East than us going East and being separated from Vancouver.

No, there isn't. They aren't gonna leave the Hawks as the only O6 team in the West, just isn't going to happen. But I think they're gonna go through with the 4 conference plan, it's just the best way to separate teams by timezone and get the most normal TV start times for all the teams.

Remember they have Lack who is close to ready. They could move Schneider for a small fortune and give up little to nothing from their NHL club...this of course is only if they settle on keeping Lou as their #1.

We don't if Saad steps up. He had a solid game tonight. However, he's 20 and early in his development.

I also am totally fine with this. But I wouldn't be against him going to the third line if it mean getting a really solid forward. I don't want Saad blocking a potentially great acquisition.

Who are they going to get? There is no point in trading assets for a modest upgrade on the top-6. Hawks can't really afford another big contract anyway. When you have bigger needs, why are you focusing on FW's??

Stalberg/Saad/Carcillo can all rotate and spend time on top-2 lines. Hawks have no problem filling their top 6 with capable talent. When you have a 1st line of Toews & Hossa you can throw pretty much anyone who can keep up out there with them.

I knew of the four-conference plan, but I didn't realize that the Jackets and Wings would be in there and that they were leaning more toward that instead of just having two conferences and realigning. All I heard was that the Jackets and Wings wanted to go East. In that potential four-conference plan, it's a hair harder for the Hawks to make the playoffs assuming they take the top X amount of teams from each of the four conferences.

Who are they going to get? There is no point in trading assets for a modest upgrade on the top-6. Hawks can't really afford another big contract anyway. When you have bigger needs, why are you focusing on FW's??

Stalberg/Saad/Carcillo can all rotate and spend time on top-2 lines. Hawks have no problem filling their top 6 with capable talent. When you have a 1st line of Toews & Hossa you can throw pretty much anyone who can keep up out there with them.

I'd rather get a goaltender, but you have to see what teams are struggling with the shortened season.

I am hoping we get a guy like Kipper at the TD. He's not elite, but he's sure as hell better than what we've got.